Auricular Acupuncture

Did you know along your external ear there is a ‘micro-system’ or a map of your entire body? It is this theory – that a part of the body (the micro) can influence the whole (the macro) – in which many Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) techniques are based upon.

Ear acupuncture involves the stimulation of acupuncture points in and around the external ear. Stimulation of auricular ear points can be done by inserting hair-thin acupuncture needles or through manual pressure, like that of massage, lasers, magnets or ear seeds affixed to the specific points.

The earliest records of auricular acupuncture date back to 500 BC, where only a few external ear acupuncture points were written about in the famous text, the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine.In the 1950’s auricular acupuncture was revived with the help of Dr. Paul Nogier of France.He mapped out a complete micro-system of the body on the ear and found that nearly the whole anatomical body was represented.Since then clinical practitioners in North and South America, Europe and Asia have used these specific ear points to effect change in other areas of the body.

Through the 1970’s and 1980’s the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) developed an ear acupuncture technique and treatment plan for drug and alcohol addiction, known as the NADA protocol. In November of 1997, a panel at the U.S National Institutes of Health (NIH) reviewed several studies about this protocol and ultimately gave approval for the practice of ear acupuncture as an adjunct treatment for addiction and chronic pain cases.

Ear acupuncture has also been shown to be part of an effective treatment plan for smoking cessation, weight loss, insomnia and dizziness. While ear acupuncture can be used by itself in these cases, it is often more effective when used in conjunction with body acupuncture and other complementary medical techniques.

Visit www.knotsrmt.ca or call to book an appointment with Karas, our Registered TCM Practitioner, and start feeling the benefits of auricular ‘ear acupuncture’ today.